THE VALLEY

I live in the Qu’Appelle Valley. This land is poetry. It speaks to me, holds me, challenges me, and reminds me to walk lightly.

JOAN DIDION

Joann Didion is one of my favourite authors of all time. I discovered her work later in life. A close friend of mine gave me a copy of The Year of Magical Thinking and I was instantly moved. I have experienced a healthy dose of grief in my lifetime and I had never had a chance to examine my experience of grief from all directions. Didion’s writing helped me hold it, take a close look at it, and find peace in the tidal wave. The way she seeks to explain the world and us humans is pure poetry.

SYLVIA PLATH

Sylvia Plath and I go WAY back. She’s been there every step of the way, ever since I intentionally wrote my first poem.

“Out of the ash, I rise with my red hair, and I eat men like air…’ Lady Lazarus continues to speak to me and reminds me that I’ve got everything I need. Always.

PETIT MAGASIN

This is an inspiration image for the online celebration Petit Magasin. This market, founded by Meg at Meg Does Pottery, brings together beautiful, inspirational makers from across the country to support each other and celebrate everyone’s artwork. I’m grateful to be a part of this community and have found so much poetry here.

POETRY

This is an image of my partner and I doing what we love to do… finding poetry in art.

MARY PRATT

Mary Pratt was the first artist I fell in love with. I was 15 years old and visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery alone for the very first time. I saw an image on a postcard in the gallery shop, bought it, and carried it with me throughout the years. The image was of a new baby being bathed in a small free-standing tub, painted in warm tones and with immense attention to detail. I didn’t realize that this image would impact me in the future so drastically, through grief, celebration and poetry.

Years later I spent the day with Mary in my role as an art museum curator of public programs. I toured her through the Qu’Appelle Valley and did my best to ‘be cool’. We explored the valley and town of Lumsden, looking at my grandfather-in-laws’ outdoor sculptures together. She told me I reminded her of her daughter. At the end of the afternoon, I dropped her at her hotel and she walked away through the large glass doors. I hung my head and wept.

PHOTOGRAPHY

My friend Carey Shaw has been on this Bath Poetry road from the very beginning, cheering, advising, supporting. Her photography is a direct reflection of the soul of the company, pulling the poetry out of my thoughts and heart and turning it into a visual living thing. This photo was taken during our first year and it really represents an important moment for me. It was one of those times when everything really fell into place and I could instantly imagine a future with Bath Poetry and all of the possibilities it held.

NYC

This won’t be the only time I post images and poetry connected to New York. That city is living poetry. This is the day I stopped and had tea with John Giorno (well, he was there in spirit).